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Alex (short story)
Alex is an additional short story from Alex Sheathes' perspective in the Delirium Trilogy. It was first published as an extra in Requiem but was later re-released separately as an e-book. Summary When Alex sacrificed himself to save Lena, he thought he was committing himself to certain death, but what he got was almost worse. Imprisoned and tortured by the guards, his mind forces him to relive a past he would rather forget. But in the dark he grows stronger. Both hopeful and terrified, he fights to find his way back to her and the love he still clings to. Plot Alex begins his story just as Lena has gone over the border into the Wilds and he believes himself to be dead. However against all odds, he wakes up and is thrown in the Crypts by the Portland guards and regulators. He compares living in the Crypts to burning alive as he remembers the feeling from when he burned things as a kid. He's beaten and tortured by guards in the Crypts. However, his wounds from the border escape begin to heal and he gains hope that one day he'll see Lena again. One night, he wakes up to hear explosions as the Crypts are bombed during the Incidents. He's freed by someone in the resistance and manages to escape into the Wilds. The ordeal doesn't end there though as regulators come into the Wilds to track them down and in the process Alex is forced to kill them, reminding him of the first time he had to kill when he was ten. He thinks of all the terrible things he's done in his life and how little Lena knew of them. He and the rest of the escapees and parts of the resistance carry on. Eventually they come across a trader who has a turquoise necklace Lena used to wear. Alex questions the trader and learns that the person who gave it to him was named Raven. He thinks perhaps Lena traded with Raven and plans on tracking her down to find out. The rest of his camp thinks Alex crazy for tracking her down without any solid evidence and Alex reflects that it's true what they say in the verified communities, that love really does make a person crazy. He admits that they may have a point with their cure and perhaps they would even all be better off. But he also reasons life as a cured is not nearly as fulfilling as life uncured. Characters Alex Sheathes - The protagonist. He survives his time in the Crypts with the hope he'll see his Lena once more. [[Lena Haloway|'Lena Haloway']] - Though never physically shown, she is kept alive in Alex's memory who sees her as every bit as good as he is bad. Kyle - The man who rescues Alex from the Crypts. He doesn't later reappear in the Wilds and it's implied he's dead or been arrested. Rogers - A man Alex encounters in the Wilds who helps him to live once he's there. He calls Alex crazy for going after Lena. Raven - The person who traded the turquoise necklace. Alex mistakenly believes that her and Lena are in two separate camps. Chronology Alex takes place chronologically during Pandemonium, immediately before, during and after the Incidents though some of Alex's flashbacks take place in various times before Delirium.Category:Companion Books Category:Books